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Originally Posted by Anguirel
One of the main theses of Harry Potter is that blood counts for nothing. So Hermione is born with magical powers despite her non-magical parentage, and some children in Wizard families ("Squibs") are not born with magical powers despite their magical parentage.
The point that remains is that all the powers of Wizards in Rowling's work are indeed innate, no less so than Galadriel's or Gandalf's; but, like Galadriel or Gandalf, the children in Harry Potter require instruction to fulfill their magical potential. Galadriel studied under Melian, for example.
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Perhaps the problem with HP is that there is no background theology to explain & account for Magic. There are no absolute dividing lines between good & evil, no philosophical basis for judging what is good & what is evil. Magic is a neutral power & only its use determines whether it is good or evil. In Tolkien's work there is 'magic' that comes out of the Good & 'magic' that comes out of the Bad/Evil, & they are different 'powers' & produce different results. In HP the heroes & villains both use the same power. This effectively puts the magicians in a superior position to 'morality' - they don't serve or reject a Higher Power by aligning themselves to it or setting themselves against it. HP is not a '
Servant of the Secret Fire', he is a '
Master' of it. There is no Higher Power in the HP universe
to serve - merely 'good' & 'bad' users of 'magic'.